Lives Connecting
by dolfanny
Summary: When Sakura is kidnapped, it is up to Li, Eriol, and Touya to rescue her and bring her back home. However, they must go through many connecting dimensions to find her...
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: What's the point?

Another day of training complete, Syaoran returned to the house with a black duffle bag in hand and a white towel in the other. He sighed lightly as he walked to the front door of his home and puts the towel around his neck to reach for his keys in his left pocket. When he was about to put the key into its matching lock, he found a note on the door for him.

"_Must be from mother_," he thought. Placing the key in the lock, he ripped the note off of the door and started to read it:

_Li Xiao Lang,_

_There is a slight family crisis I must attend to. I'll be home in a little while so serve yourself to whatever you want for dinner tonight. Please do the dishes before I get back._

_Love,_

_Mother_

Syaoran smiled to himself. Mother was trying to teach Meilin how to bake cakes that day, but ended up burning the entire inside of the oven. He shoved the note in the pocket of his sweatpants and entered the house. He put his stuff down and took his shoes off to find the house completely empty.

"_Good, at least I can eat in peace and quiet._" Syaoran thought with a smile. After eating, Syaoran started on the dishes from the baking disaster earlier. While scrubbing one of the baking pans, he looked over his left shoulder at the clock to check the time. Next to the clock were photographs of him his family, and his friends when he was in elementary school and so on. He stopped scrubbing momentarily to look at them. He noticed one of the pictures and stared at it, sighing softly.

It was a picture of his four sisters with Tomoyo and Sakura when they came to visit him back way when. He started to scrub again and at the same time, to think about her. He hadn't seen Sakura in nine years and only kept in contact with her through letters and phone conversations. Every time he heard her voice over the phone, he couldn't help but blush light pink and smile when she would tell him the latest news in Tomoeda or what trouble Kero got into.

The long letters she would write him would just brighten his day and he would write back a letter just as long. He wished he could go visit her; in fact he would go right now if his mother didn't keep him so busy all the time. He just wanted to tell her how he really felt. That she was more than just a good friend to him, that he…loved her. Why couldn't he just tell her that? He wanted to tell her, but something held him back. He didn't know what did that day, but whatever it was…did.

He sighed in frustration as he scrubbed the baking pan harder with the sponge, but to no avail. The burnt parts of what used to be cake still stayed stuck to the pan. He gave up on it and dumped it back into the sink when the phone started to ring, snapping him out of his thoughts.

"_Wonder who that could be_?" he thought as he reached to pick up the phone. Maybe it was her! He heart started to do flip flops in his chest as he put the receiver to his ear.

"Hello. This is the Li residence."

"Li, is that you?" Wait a minute. That wasn't Sakura's voice. It wasn't even female.

"Yes this is him. Who is this?" Syaoran asked curiously. Who in the hell was this person?

"Li, I can't believe you don't recognize me. Your old school buddy," the mystery voice replied in shocking amusement. This voice was slowly sounding some what familiar. His heart slowed down a bit as he finally recognized who it was.

"….Eriol?" The voice sighed with relief.

"Thank god, I though for a minute you were losing your memory there." Syaoran didn't understand. Why on earth was Eriol calling him?

"Eriol, why are you calling me?" he asked, keeping his own voice from sounding surprised.

"I call you to say hi and that is the reply I get? I thought you were a **_good_** friend." For a split second there, Syaoran actually felt bad for being rude to Eriol…for once.

"Sorry I just-" Syaoran was cut short by Eriol, not giving him a chance to explain.

"Or were you expecting…someone else?" Eriol asked coyly. Any thoughts or feelings of guilt disappeared. Syaoran blushed a slight red.

"…Maybe."

"I so knew it! You were expecting Sakura to call weren't you?" Eriol had read his mind like a book. Eriol was starting to piss him off. Just like the good ol' days.

"That's none of your business!" he replied hotly.

"Oh come on Li, lighten up a little bit. I was just joking around with you," Eriol said calmly. Why was he always so damn calm?

"If you don't tell me the reason why you are calling me, I will hang up on you." There was a small silence. Finally Eriol answers back.

"Well, the reason why I called is to tell you that Sakura called **_me_** to tell you that you have been invited to Chiharu and Yamazaki's wedding, that's all."

"Wedding? Chiharu and Yamazaki? Why didn't she call herself and tell me?" Syaoran asked. Well, he could always see those two getting married one day. It was no shocker to him, but he was happy for them anyway.

"Well, being the maid of honor is a busy job you know. She sends her apologies to you and hopes you can make it," Eriol implied. Syaoran smiled at his last sentence.

"That's ok. So, when is this whole thing going to happen?"

"…A few days from now," Eriol said hesitantly. There was something wrong. Syaoran could sense it in the way he answered.

"How many **_is_** a few days Eriol?" Syaoran demanded. There was silence until Eriol finally broke it.

"Four days," he answered quietly.

"Four days! Eriol, I have to tell my mother these things way in advance! You know that!" Syaoran's voice rose in anger.

"Don't worry about your mother, I have a plan," Eriol said simply. Syaoran sensed again that there was something strange going on.

"And what is this so called plan going to be?" Syaoran could sense Eriol's smile just get bigger. There was again silence.

"Well, the first part of my plan is for you to look out your front door," Eriol said randomly. Syaoran paused and took a short time to absorb what Eriol had just said before replying.

"What does this have to do with getting to the wedding?" Syaoran asked with suspicion.

"You'll see." Eriol told him simply. Now Syaoran was just getting annoyed again.

"Fine." Syaoran said, taking the wireless phone with him as he went up to the front door and opened it; then there he was. Eriol was standing with a cell phone in one hand and waving to Syaoran with the other. Why couldn't he sense Eriol earlier? Syaoran's mouth opened but nothing came out as he watched Eriol hang his cell phone up. He did the same and walked up to Eriol.

Eriol hadn't really changed much, beside the fact that he'd gotten taller. His hair was pulled back with a long ponytail that went down to his lower back and he was an inch or two taller than Syaoran. He was wearing a simple black blazer with a white shirt, black pants, black shoes, and the same pair of glasses he always wore. Eriol just smiled and gave Syaoran, much to his surprise, a hug.

"It's good to see you again Li. You've grown very much." Syaoran quickly broke the friendly hug.

"You as well. Why did you even bother to call my house if you were standing right in front of it?" He was very curious to know Eriol's motives as to why he did something completely pointless. Eriol just smiled some more at his relative's state of confusion.

"I just thought it would be fun. Besides, I just got this cell phone as a gift and wanted to try it out." That answer wasn't good enough to satisfy Syaoran. He hated when Eriol did these sorts of things.

"Well next time you try to use me as one of your 'test subjects' it would be nice if you tell me next time," Syaoran snapped. Eriol's face was still smiling even though Syaoran was glaring at Eriol hard enough to burn holes straight through Eriol's head. Eriol just enjoyed pissing Syaoran off.

"Well, we'd better get your things ready," Eriol said as he was pushing Syaoran back inside the house when Syaoran turned around and stopped.

"What do you mean 'get my things ready'?" Syaoran asked, unsure of what was going on.

"Because silly, I had the limo circle around the block and we only have an hour until our flight takes off," Eriol said as he took off his glasses and used his jacket to clean some smudge off them.

"But my mother will be coming home any minute," Syaoran said, exasperated. Eriol finishes cleaning his glasses and puts them back on.

"Well then, you'd better start packing." All Syaoran could do was look at Eriol with his jaw dropped in disbelief. His mother was going to kill him.

**000000000000000**

Ten minutes after packing, Syaoran was ready with his suitcases on both sides of him and his duffle bag with his training gear. Next to him, Eriol was checking his watch and as if it were rehearsed, he looked up and there was the jet black limo turning up onto the street, pulling right up in front of the two young men.

A slightly round man with a black bowler hat and black suit got out of the car without a word and grabbed all of Syaoran's bags, putting them in the trunk. The driver briskly walked over to the back door and opened it for the two. Syaoran muttered a 'thanks' as Eriol smiled at the driver and got in the limo, the door shutting behind them. The limo was decorated with one long 'L' shaped seat with a mini bar across from them. In the corner was a small T.V. that appeared slightly old. As the car got moving, there was silence between the two once again. Then Syaoran broke it.

"My mother is going to kill me. I can't believe you talked me into this," Syaoran said as he crossed his arms across his chest. Eriol just smiled at his relative's emotional outbursts as he grabbed a drink from the mini bar. Syaoran was really starting to hate that smile.

"I'm sure your mother will understand why you took a sudden leave with out her consent." Eriol took a sip of his drink. Syaoran just gave Eriol a look and continued.

"Maybe, but what about Meilin? She's not the type of person to just let it slide." Syaoran looked down at his feet. He had witnessed and had been a victim of Meilin's wrath more than once. He didn't want it to happen again. Then, hearing Meilin's name, something hit Eriol mentally in the face.

"Oh! I totally forgot. Speaking of Meilin, I called her earlier today and told her to meet us at the airport. She'll be waiting for us at the gate." Eriol, again, took another sip of his drink, his expression calm. Syaoran just looked at him like he wanted to strangle him. Why did he always have to hide things and _then_ tell him at the last minute? Or did Eriol have Alzheimer's, despite his age? Syaoran didn't know the answers to both of his questions, but he knew Eriol certainly didn't change over the years.

"Well, this is news to me. Why didn't you tell me?"

"Sorry, I just forgot all about her I guess," Eriol answered innocently and finished off his drink, putting the glass back on the mini bar. The car suddenly stopped and the driver got out of the car in one swift motion. The driver opened the door for Eriol and Syaoran to get out. Syaoran looked around to find that they had arrived at Hong Kong airport.

He saw hundreds of people coming and going from inside, having things to do and places to be. The driver took all of Syaoran's and what appeared to be Eriol's bags out of the car and put them next to their feet. Eriol gave the driver some money and said thanks. They watched the driver leave the airport and grabbed their own bags.

"Well, we're here. We'd better get our bags checked and meet up with Meilin," Eriol informed him. Syaoran just gave a nod in response. They walked in the airport and went up the escalator to the checking counter. Eriol and Syaoran got their bags weighed and taken away to be put on the plane. With the Eriol only carrying his own individual bag of things to do on the airplane, they headed toward their gate. While in line to get past security, Syaoran looked at his ticket and look at the gate number: gate 38. He then heard a familiar voice calling out to him.

"Syaoran! Hey, over here!" He looked up to see Meilin waving to both Eriol and himself. She was wearing a simple yellow tee-shirt with capri pants and a pair of flip flop sandals. Her hair was in two braded pigtails that went down to her waist. Syaoran gave a small smile and waved back. When they were cleared, Meilin ran up and gave both Syaoran and Eriol a hug.

"Wow Eriol, your hormones kicked in I see," Meilin grinned as Syaoran just rolled his eyes.

"Don't expect much Meilin," Syaoran muttered under his breath. Eriol faced Syaoran and gave a small smile to him, confusing him even more.

"Aw, surely you don't mean that?"

"Actually, I-" just before Syaoran could finish, Meilin put her hand over his mouth, not wanting bickering between the two.

"I'm sure he didn't mean it Eriol. Now lets get to our flight, we only have twenty minutes and they already boarding passengers." Meilin walked ahead of them, heading to the gate. Eriol, who was next to Meilin, slyly stuck his tongue out at Syaoran as a sign of victory. Syaoran sat there fuming with his face scrunched in anger, but he decided not to kill him yet. He would wait until the time was…right.

Meilin just rolled her eyes at them both. Here are two grown men making faces at each other in public no less. Did she have to play 'mom' through out this entire trip? Definitely. When they got on the airplane, Eriol got the isle seat while Syaoran got the middle seat and Melin got the window seat. The plane eventually took off and headed toward Japan.

About three-fourths of the way there, Meilin was already asleep on Syaoran's shoulder and Eriol was listening to music and reading a book. Syaoran looked out the window only to see clouds. Once bored of looking out a window, he turned his head away from the window and ended up looking at the back of the chair in front of him.

Then a sudden thought struck him. After nine years of just talking on the phone and writing letters, he would finally be able talk to Sakura in person. Had she changed at all? What would she look like? Syaoran blushed just thinking about it. Eriol, who was bored from his book at the moment, decided to look over at what Meilin and Syaoran were doing.

Meilin was resting her head on Syaoran's left shoulder. Assuming she was asleep, he looked at Syaoran. He appeared to be thinking hard enough because he didn't seem to notice Eriol staring at him. He smiled as he took notice to the blush on Syaoran's cheeks.

It was funny to see his relative in love. He was completely the opposite person when he was near Sakura. He would just stand there blushing right in front of her while she would be totally oblivious to the signs of his affections toward her. When she wasn't there, he was almost a different person; serious and quiet most of the time. Eriol put his face right next to Syaoran's ear and whispered.

"I bet I can guess who you're thinking about." This made Syaoran jump literally out of his chair, waking up Meilin in the process and hitting his head on what they called a ceiling.

"Don't DO THAT!" Eriol couldn't help but laugh at the look on Syaoran's face. Meilin rubbed her eyes open and saw Syaoran out of his seat, standing and rubbing his head. She just sighed.

"Eriol, what did you do now?" Eriol controlled his laughter into fits and giggles when he finally stopped.

"I saw him over here thinking about you know who." Eriol said with a wink. **_Now_** she knew what was going on. She grinned.

"I see. You **_sly_** dog you," she said coyly as she nudged him on his side. He glared at the both of them before sitting back down in his seat.

"Do you two mind? Can't you two just find someone else's life to ruin **besides** mine?" Syaoran begged. He noticed a few people were starting to stare. He sank into his seat even more, trying to hide.

"Sorry Li, we just couldn't do that. Where would all of the fun go? If we couldn't bug you, what would our purpose in life be then?" Eriol said as he grinned even wider.

"Yeah you dork." Meilin giggled as she and Eriol slapped each other a high five.

"_Now Meilin too? Great. This is just my fucking day_." Syaoran thought angrily. Just as he was going to make a come-back in this conversation, the flight attendant made an announcement.

"Ladies and gentlemen, we will be landing in approximately twenty minutes. Please turn off all electronic devices at this time and fasten your seat belts as we are about to land. Thank you and have a nice day." When the flight attendant was finished with her announcement, Syaoran just look up at the ceiling and closed his eyes.

Why did they always have to point out his feelings towards Sakura bluntly in his face? In public even! Why was it so damn interesting to torment him? Then he could feel the plane start to descend beneath him.

"_Finally! I just want to get off this damn plane_." Syaoran thought as he watched through a cracked eyelid Eriol and Meilin both lean forward to connive with one another. He really didn't want to know what they were talking about. He sighed, trying to drown their discussion out. Probably about him no less. People were just out to get him these days.

**000000000000000**

When they got off the air plane, the trio went to the baggage claim and got all of their things. Then Eriol lead them to the pick up area where they waited.

"What are we waiting for?" Syaoran snapped, who was still a little mad about earlier. Eriol seemed uninfected by his tone, which pissed Syaoran off even more. Eriol looked around the area with his eyes when his face lit up like a Christmas tree.

"There she is." Both Meilin and Syaoran were confused as to whom he was referring to. Another jet black limo appeared and pulled up next to them. But instead of a limo driver coming out of the car were two female bodyguards in neat and tucked black suits and sunglasses. Then it dawned on Meilin and Syaoran who it was.

"Tomoyo! It's you!" Meilin dropped her bags to hug her friend as she got out of the car. Tomoyo was wearing a single blue dress with matching shoes and small light purple jacket. Her dark hair fell down to her waist as her hair draped over her shoulders. She greeted everyone with her kind smile as she returned Meilin's hug and turned to the two men.

"It's nice to see all of you again and I'm happy you could all make it," she said softly as she turned to Syaoran, "especially you Li. Sakura will be very relieved that you could come after all. She will be very happy to see you again." This made Syaoran blush again at the mention of Sakura's name.

Tomoyo just smiled as she motioned her bodyguards to put everything in the trunk. They all got in the limo one at a time and they drove off. In the car Eriol, Meilin, and Tomoyo talked about missed events and other things while Syaoran just looked out the window, busy with his own thoughts. Tomoyo noticed him staring out the window and tapped his shoulder lightly to get his attention. She had a pretty good idea what he was thinking of or **_who_** for that matter.

"Sakura doesn't know that you're coming." she said suddenly. This caused Syaoran's eyebrows to rise in surprise.

"Really?" Tomoyo just nodded.

"Yep. So we are going to surprise her with you. We thought it would be kinda cute." She smiled as all he could do was blush a light pink.

"Do you mind if we go to my house? That is where Sakura is waiting for us to get back." Tomoyo asked Syaoran as he shook his head.

"I…really want to see her again. It's been so long since I've spoken to her…well in person anyway," Syaoran said in a hushed tone, not really wanting the two 'connivers' to hear him.

"I know you do. She feels just the same way." Tomoyo gave Syaoran a reassuring smile. Tomoyo was really the only person to whom he could speak his true feelings about Sakura to. He was glad that he could now talk to Tomoyo for advice concerning his already complicated love life. He gave Tomoyo a small smile of thanks. Then the limo turned into Tomoyo's driveway and came to a halt.

Everyone got out of the car and walked inside. Syaoran had only been in her house a few times, but every time he came, it was just as big with the particular glass chandelier above the door way. Tomoyo led them down a hallway when two voices could be heard.

"I WANT CAKE! IT'S NOT FAIR THAT YOU GET THE LAST PIECE!" Syaoran grimaced. He knew who that was: Keroberos. Then he heard the other voice, his heart pounding so hard that he surprised no one heard it.

"Kero, for the last time, what would happen if Tomoyo's maid asked why I requested two pieces of cake instead of one? How could I explain to her without sounding like a pig? Besides, someone might discover you with all of the noise you make when you eat." Sakura said in a firm tone.

"I still say it's not fair. I want a…wait a minute. I sense…someone familiar." Kero's tone changed drastically as he felt the four coming their way. He got up off of the coffee table and flew out the room, discovering Eriol, Melin, Tomoyo, and…the 'brat'.

"It's you! You stupid kid! I can't believe it! Why in the hell are **_you_** here?" Kero growled. This just made Syaoran mad. Meanwhile, the others were watching in amusement. They looked absolutely **_happy_** to see each other.

"Hey! I'm not a kid anymore you stupid jackass!"

"What did you call me?"

"A jackass, you idiot!"

"That's it! This ends now you damn brat!" Kero turned into Keroberos and tackled Syaoran like prey and knocked him down to the floor roughly with his two front paws. Sakura, unaware of who Kero was talking to, heard the whole thing and got up to stop the fight, but was shocked to see who Kero was fighting.

"Syaoran…is that…you?" Syaoran pushed Keroberos off of him to look up at who was speaking to him.

When he saw who it was, he stood there paralyzed like a statue and couldn't help himself but stare. Sakura was the most gorgeous girl he had ever laid eyes on. Her hair style was pretty much the same except that it was bit longer. She was of average height and had a slender figure. She was much more beautiful than he could have imagined her to be.

She was wearing a blue sweater with a dark blue jean skirt and was wearing black leather boots. Syaoran then realized something remarkable about her; shelookedjusther mother. When he realized how long he was staring, his whole face turned the color of a red apple. Sakura, oblivious to it all, ran up to him and gave a big hug, making him even redder then he already was.

He, still a little shaken, regained his composure and returned the hug back. Tomoyo and the others looked at the two with satisfaction; this whole wedding thing just might bring the two together after all these years. Eriol cleared his throat, startling both Sakura and Syaoran. She released their friendly hug to get a good look at him.

"I can't believe it's really you Syaoran! I've haven't seen you in…well, forever! And look how much taller you are than me!" Sakura said having to look up slightly to create eye contact.

She was right about the height; he noted that the top of her head lightly brushed the bottom of his chin when they hugged. He couldn't help but smile at her attempt to look up at him. He thought it very cute. She was still the Sakura he remembers nine years ago, much to his relief.

"You've also changed Sakura." Syaoran smiled back. Kero, much to Syaoran's disappointment, flew between the two and interrupting them.

"I WANT CAKE!" Kero's plea startled the two and made them jump out of their skins. Tomoyo just laughed at the whole situation while Meilin and Eriol talked about what he thought to be buying a camera for some reason, a reason Syaoran felt with horror he knew all to well.

"Don't worry Kero; there is plenty of cake in the kitchen," Tomoyo said as the two of them went to the kitchen to gather refreshments while the other four went to the family room where Sakura and Kero had been before. Eriol sat next to Sakura while Meilin and Syaoran sat right across from them. They started to talk about the wedding.

"As we all know," Eriol began, "this wedding shall be…unique from most. When it's those two you're talking about, it's bound to be interesting." Everyone agreed to that. They are 'one of a kind' after all.

"I bet Yamazaki's going to piss Chiharu again with another one of his so called stories." Meilin added. Everyone agreed to that as well. Hearing the mention of Yamazaki's name, it helped Sakura remember something very important.

"Hey Syaoran?" Sakura asked Syaoran, getting his immediate attention. She continued.

"Yamazaki was hoping you could be his best man for the wedding. He told me he couldn't pick a better friend or man for the job. You think you're up to it?" Syaoran looked at her for a moment, deciding whether it was a good idea.

"Sure. I'll be happy to." Sakura's face brightened up with delight.

"I'll call him later and tell him the good news. He'll be happy to hear that you could come." Eriol and Meilin looked over at the two talking and randomly decided to intervene in their conversation.

"Did you say best man Sakura?" Meilin asked. Sakura simply nodded.

"What type of wedding are they having?" Eriol then asked quickly, confusing Sakura even more. Syaoran knew there was something wrong with the two. He swore he saw a flicker of mischief in Eriol's eyes. Not a good sign.

"Well, obviously a western style wedding. Why are you asking?" Meilin and Eriol looked at each other again, then grinning like a pair of Cheshire cats. **_Definitely_** not a good sign.

"Oh, no reason. Just wanted to make sure, that's all." Eriol answered smiling. Syaoran hated when Eriol smiled like that. He couldn't tell what he was thinking or planning to do. Tomoyo decided to change the subject, much to Syaoran's relief.

"How about we help you move your things into your old apartment?" Tomoyo asked, indicating Meilin and Syaoran.

"No that's ok-" Meilin quickly cut off Syaoran before he could answer. This might be a good chance to get Sakura and Syaoran alone…

"We'd **_love_** your help!" Meilin exclaimed. Syaoran opened his mouth, but nothing came out.

"A good idea," Eriol started. Syaoran looked up at Eriol. _Great. Now him too_, "Sakura and Tomoyo can help with your things. I have to get to my place as well." Eriol got up and turned to Kero.

"I can take you home Kero." Kero, who was in the middle of eating a snicker doodle, looked up at him confused.

"Uh…ok." Kero devoured his cookie and followed Eriol out of the living room. Tomoyo got up as well.

"Do you need a ride Eriol?" Tomoyo asked as Eriol turned around to answer.

"No that's ok. I'll just walk." No one said anything else as Eriol and Kero left as Eriol had mysterious ways of getting around. When they heard the door shut, Meilin got to her feet and put her hands on her hips.

"_Good. Now all Tomoyo and I have to do is get them…alone_." She grinned at the thought. Her smile scared Syaoran more than she knew.

"_Why in the hell is she grinning? Is she plotting something?" _Syaoran thought suspiciously asMeilin walked a few steps away from the couches and turned around to face the others.

"Well, let's go and get our stuff into our apartment." Meilin glanced sharply at Tomoyo as to signal her. That was her cue.

"I'll help Meilin with her things. Sakura, can you help Li? If you don't mind?" Sakura looked at her friend, then to Syaoran.

"Of course I'll help. Come on Syaoran." Sakura grabbed his hand and pulled him to his feet. She led him out the door and to the limo. Syaoran quickly looked back at the two to see them giggling at his general direction. His eyes widened slightly.

"_She **is** planning something_!" He thought in a panic. What was going to happen? Nobody knows…well maybe except Eriol, Meilin, and Tomoyo that is.

**000000000000000**

Once they arrived at Syaoran's old place (minus Eriol and Kero) Sakura and the others grabbed what they could and carried it up to the apartment door. Syaoran put the key in the lock and opened the door. The place was just the same as it was when he left it last time, but not with as much dust. Dust was apparent to the naked eye on every piece of furniture, even on the sheets that covered the couches and chairs. They all sighed; this was going to take awhile to clean.

"We had better get started. It's already 4:37 P.M and we won't be done for quite awhile," Tomoyo said checking her watch as everyone agreed. They put all of the suitcases next to the door, took off their shoes, and walked inside.

"Tomoyo and I will clean out here. **_You_**," Meilin pointed to Syaoran," and Sakura will clean the two bathrooms and the _**bedrooms**."_ Meilin emphasized the word bedrooms and raised a sly eyebrow at Sakura and Syaoran.

His eyes widened in shock as to how Meilin could think such a dirty thing and blushed…**_again_**. Sakura just tilted her head in confusion. Tomoyo just smiled with a tint of humor as the 'plot' unfolded. Meilin went to the pantry closet in the kitchen and grabbed mops, buckets, towels, and scrubbers. She shoved a few items into Syaoran's hands and walked over to Tomoyo.

"Well what are you two still doing here, get going!" Meilin snorted. Syaoran and Sakura looked at each other and shrugged. They walked away from Melin and to their assigned rooms.

"Let's start in the bathroom. It's bound to be a bit dirty." Sakura suggested. Syaoran nodded and opened door. She was right. Dust littered the shelves and the light green counter. To make things worse, there was mold in the bathtub and in the toilet. They both cringed at the state the bathroom was in (obviously this is Syaoran's bathroom because of the color).

"Yuck…there's mold in the toilet…" Sakura said with a face of disgust. Syaoran started to fill the bucket he was handed with water from the sink and looked quickly at the toilet. He too made the same face.

"The feeling is mutual." Sakura looked at him and smiled.

"Well at least were on the same page about this right?" She smiled even bigger, showing her white teeth. Syaoran smiled back.

"Yeah I guess. I'll do the toilet. You can do the counter and shelves. We're both going to have to do the bathtub, err…obviously." Sakura smiled as she grabbed her cleaning weaponry and started on the counters as Syaoran did the same on the toilet.

**000000000000000**

Back in the kitchen, Meilin and Tomoyo were not concentrating on cleaning, but trying to listen for any…movement.

"Do you hear anything at all?"

"I wish. What are they doing in there? Watching the dust collect?"

"Um…maybe they are actually cleaning…like we should be doing." Ok, so Tomoyo had a point, but Meilin wanted **_something_** to happen already!

"Oh…right." Meilin plunged her mop into the bucket and started to mop when she sighed in frustration.

"I can't take it anymore! If he doesn't make a move on her or at **_least_ **give her a hint I'm going to walk right in there and tell her **_for_** him!" Meilin gripped the mop handle as tightly as she could, as if to keep herself from actually doing it.

"Meilin, as you must know, Li is the type of person who is used to hiding his emotions most of the time. Just telling her 'I love you' is harder for him than for some people. Let him do it in his own time and have confidence in him. He will tell her eventually how he feels, but right now he has to take in that Sakura has…well matured from a sweet cute girl to a beautiful women. It's all happening so fast for him right now." Tomoyo explained seriously to Meilin, who seemed to understand.

"I know, but still. It's driving me up the wall. Men can be so stupid sometimes, you know?" Tomoyo nodded in solemn agreement. They finally started to mop the kitchen, but still listening for any sounds or movements.

"_Well,_" Meilin thought with a sly grin on her lips, "_if anything **does** happen, I have my camera right in my pocket just in case_."

**000000000000000**

Syaoran wiped the beads of sweat with his back of his arm. He never thought getting all of that mold off the toilet would be so hard. He looked at his handy work and smiled in satisfaction: that toilet couldn't look any cleaner.

He looked over at Sakura who was bent over picking up her paper towel pile she had made while cleaning the shelves and counter top. As she put the paper towels in a nearby trash can, he caught himself staring at her bottom. He shook he head violently. He couldn't believe what he just did.

"_Was I…was I staring at her…**butt**_?" he thought as he mentally hit himself for doing such a thing, "_curse these damn temptations_!" He could see Eriol laughing at him now. Why he came to mind he didn't know, but it made him mad. Sakura stood back up straight and turned to Syaoran who was looking at her with an expression she couldn't place.

"I'm finished here. You?" Sakura's question snapped Syaoran out of his 'hormonal dilemma'.

"Wha…oh yeah I-I'm f-finished here." Syaoran stammered blushing furiously, but to his good fortune, she didn't notice him blushing at all.

"Well let's get started on the bathtub and then the floor I guess." Sakura said as she grabbed her cleaning weaponry and climbed into the tub/shower combo. Syaoran did the same. Their backs were facing each other, both of them cleaning the mold off the walls of the shower (the tub/shower being connected to the wall).

Sakura stopped momentarily, reaching over to dip her scrubbing brush in the bucket, but couldn't quite reach it. Scowling at the distance of the bucket, she climbed out of the tub and grabbed the bucket by the metal handles. With all of her strength, she tried to pick it up and over the tub, but the bucket was too heavy and her arms gave out as she dropped it in the tub. The water spilt all over inside the tub and she slipped trying to get back in, landing on her bottom in the water. Syaoran, dropping his own brush, turned around to see what happened.

"Are you ok?" Syaoran asked as he offers her a hand.

"Yeah I'm fine, but I don't think my butt is." Sakura grimaced at the source of pain coming from her behind.

Syaoran smiled at her reply, but it was quickly replaced with a shout of surprise as the foot he was **_going_** to put his weight on to pull her up landed on the brush he put down earlier. She cried out in shock as all of his weight lands right on top of her. Time stopped for a moment as Syaoran realized that his head was resting on something soft; only to find out a second later that his head rested on her chest.

He pushed himself up, blushing furiously, only to find his face only an inch away from hers. He had never seen her eyes so close up before. Unconsciously, he started to lean in closer to her face, apparently trying (and wanting) to kiss her. Once again confused, Sakura (who was blushing slightly due to the proximity of their faces) was going to ask what he was doing, when they heard a click and saw a quick flash. They looked up to see Tomoyo with her camcorder in hand as Meilin held a small digital camera in her hand.

"Hah! I got it!"


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter two**

Disclaimer: I realized that after reading the second chapter, there were many grammatical and spelling errors, so I decided to fix these and repost this chapter. Sorry for the confusion!

Syaoran couldn't believe it. They caught him red handed. Blushing even redder than he thought possible, Syaoran quickly got up, pulling Sakura up with him. How could he not sense them coming? They were right there in front of him! Now he just felt an idiot. What took over him? His hormones perhaps? He didn't know, but he knew for a fact that he felt incredibly stupid right at that precise moment. He muttered a 'sorry' as Sakura smiled, saying it was just an accident.

As he helped Sakura out of the tub, he noted Tomoyo and Meilin giving each other a high five. They were planning for something like this to happen the whole time! Tomoyo led Sakura out of the bathroom to get a towel to dry off with. Syaoran looked at Meilin in disbelief. How could she do that to him?

"_That_ had to be the cutest thing I've _ever_ seen." Meilin said bluntly, making him blush. He was really getting tired this blushing thing.

"**_Why_** did you do that Melin?" Meilin, who was still looking at the photo she took on her camera, looked up at him and smiled.

"Couldn't resist. It was just one of those Kodak moments." Syaoran's jaw dropped. _Kodak moment?_

"That's not an excuse Meilin! Do you know how private that is? Who do you intend to show that to?" He didn't know why he'd bothered asking. He knew who she was going to show it to.

"Eriol of course," Yep. Just as he thought, "it is absolutely necessary that he sees this. It's just too cute not to see it!" Meilin exclaimed dramatically. She hugged her camera like it was one of her own. He really wanted to take that camera, throw it out the window and watch it shatter on the sidewalk. That gave him a good idea.

"Can I see the picture you took?"

"Are you kidding? You probably want to throw it out the window or something right?" Meilin asked as though reading his thoughts exactly. _Damn_. Syaoran stared hard at the ground, trying not to look in her eyes.

"See I knew it. Just because you don't want anyone to see your romantic encounter doesn't mean that no one **_else_** wants to." Meilin stuck her tongue out at him and walked out of the bathroom, leaving him there.

"It wasn't a romantic encounter! Nothing happened!" He yelled after her, but she seemed not to hear. He inhaled and sighed. Never a moment's peace when Meilin was in the same place as he was. But still, what **_was_** he thinking? What made him do that? Was he not only in love with Sakura, but attracted to her physically as well? He shook the thought out of his mind for now; he needed some dry clothes first.

**00000000000000**

The four of them finished cleaning the rest of the apartment without any trouble. Tomoyo and Sakura said their goodbyes and left, saying that they would see them the next day. After putting their clothes away, Meilin and Syaoran had dinner and they went to bed in their own individual rooms.

Meilin made sure that he was asleep before making an 'important phone call'. At around 12:30 A.M., She snuck out to the kitchen where she checked her surroundings, just in case, and dialed the number. She put the receiver to her ear, waiting for the person to pick up.

"Hello, this is Eriol. Who may I say is speaking?"

"Cut the nice stuff Eriol, it's me Meilin. As promised, Tomoyo and I got the footage you wanted." Meilin whispered. On the other side of the conversation, Eriol smiled widely.

"Good. I must see what you have. Is it any good?"

"Good? It's even better than we expected! I have the picture in my room and Tomoyo has it on her camcorder." Meilin answered with satisfaction. Eriol's plan was going even better than he anticipated.

"When can I see the footage you gathered?" Eriol asked. Meilin paused and thought a moment, than she got an idea.

"I can show you tomorrow at Tomoyo's house-"

"Don't you think Sakura and Li will be there?"

"I'm not finished explaining. We can kill two birds with one stone here. We just send Sakura and Syaoran out for a while. They can go and get decorations and stuff for the wedding while Tomoyo and I show you the goods. Besides, it will be just the two of them right? I'm sure something will happen." Meilin finished, smiling triumphantly.

"Meilin," Eriol started, "I congratulate you for you idea. It's simple, yet sounds very effective. I'll meet you at Tomoyo's at…lets say at eleven o'clock tomorrow?"

"Sounds good to me. Over and out." And with that they both hang up at the same time, their plan was right on track.

**000000000000000**

The next morning, Syaoran woke up around eight to the not to the sound of his alarm, but to Meilin's scream. He grinned, which was rare for him; he knew exactly what she was screaming about.

"_With a scream like that, she should replace my alarm clock_." He thought as he dragged himself out of bed to the room across from him. He wore a pair of light grey cotton pants with a white undershirt. He opened Melin's door only to find all of her things on the floor.

"WHERE IS IT? It has to be somewhere!" she said in a panic as she zipped back and forth in her room looking everywhere while only throwing her belongings on the floor in hope of finding it. Then she stopped, realizing Syaoran was there; he was grinning at her. Then she knew right then and there where her camera had run off to.

"You **_took_** my camera didn't you? **_Where_** did you put it?" Syaoran studied her expression for a moment. It was a mix of anger and annoyance. His face returned to its expressionless state.

"I'm not telling you. You might use it again for god knows what. I'm **_not_** letting you show Eriol or anybody else that picture and that's_ **final**_." Meilin's face twisted into a huge frown.

"You're such a damn sick in the mud," then she smiled back, making Syaoran uncomfortable, "but that's ok, I have more than just a picture to show. Now if you excuse me, I'm going to get ready to go to Tomoyo's. We have to buy the decorations for the wedding reception." And with that, Meilin shut her door in his face. He was trying figure out what Meilin had meant by having more than just a picture. Then it hit him.

"_Oh shit, Tomoyo recorded the whole thing! I forgot that she was even there_!" he thought, blaming himself for not remembering. He walked back into his room to get in the shower and get ready while figuring out a way to get the tape out of the camcorder so Eriol wouldn't be able to see what happened. If he did, he would never let Syaoran live it down. **_EVER_**. This just made Syaoran even more determined to find that damn camera.

**000000000000000**

Everyone met back at Tomoyo's 'house' discussing what to use for decorations amongst other minor things for the wedding. Once the list of items was decided upon, Tomoyo asked Sakura and Syaoran to go and buy the list of items downtown, much to Syaoran's dismay. His plan would, unfortunately for him, not take action as Sakura grabbed him by the arm and led him out the door. Tomoyo's glint of mischief was in her eye as she showed the whole event on tape to Eriol, who was laughing and in awe.

"Never knew he had it in him. He was so close too," Eriol sighed deeply, "We need to find a way to watch them without their notice, but since they both have magic, that factor makes it even harder to do." Tomoyo and Meilin both nodded.

"Can they sense people even without magic?" Tomoyo asked. Eriol knew exactly what she was thinking. That Meilin and Tomoyo could spy without getting noticed due to their lack of magical powers.

"Well, I'm not sure about Sakura, but I know Li can whether the person has magic or no magic." Eriol answered as he rested his elbows on both knees.

"Damn. Curse Syaoran and his stupid magic. That boy trained **_way_** too hard as a kid." Meilin snorted, crossing her arms stubbornly.

"There is no limit to how hard you train your magic Meilin. The longer you train to heighten your senses, the better you are at using you magic and sensing the things around you." Eriol informed her, recounting his wisdom and experience.

"Yeah yeah, thank you Mr. Obvious. But seriously, do you have an idea?" Meilin asked. Eriol brought himself back to rest his back on the couch.

"Yes I do. I'm able to hide my presence, but since I gave half of my magic away to Sakura's father, I'm not so sure I can take you two along with me without getting you two noticed. It takes some magic to hide a magic user's presence and another person's presence at the same time. I can, however, intertwine a spell into an item so that person can be hidden, but **_only_** for certain amount of time." Eriol explained to both Tomoyo and Meilin, who were listening very carefully.

"Can it be any item?" Tomoyo asked, putting a finger to her lip thoughtfully.

"It has to be an item that is yours." This made the girls smile.

"This is very good. I think we have a plan. All you and I have to do," Meilin said as she pointed to Tomoyo, "is to follow them." Tomoyo put her hands together in delight.

"This is going to be so much fun! Spying and watching their love story unfold!" Tomoyo's exclaimed as her famous mischievous glint had once again made its presence in her eyes. Eriol suddenly got up off the couch to face them both.

"And I can get started on the spell. All I need is something you both own."

**000000000000000**

He **_needed_** to be there. There was something very important he (and the bubbly girl next to him) were missing. This nagging feeling wouldn't leave him alone. All he could think about was what the hell the three were planning while he was left shopping in downtown Tomoeda with Sakura. He then replayed the last two words in his mind:

"…_with Sakura…" _He turned his head to look at Sakura who was busy trying to find the store to buy the items on the list Tomoyo gave them. Maybe this would be a good time to tell her…? She felt eyes on her as she turned to look at Syaoran. He blushed and quickly looked away. She smiled as she found what she was looking for.

They went in and bought what they came for and walked out with four bags of party accessories, each holding two bags. As they were walking to the nearest bus stop, Sakura stopped to only hear her stomach ache with hunger. Syaoran's eyebrows had risen in curiosity as Sakura blushed.

"Um…I guess I'm kinda hungry. Do you mind if we get something to eat? Touya ate the rest of the pancakes this morning and I didn't have anything to eat yet." Syaoran shook his head and smiled.

"It's no problem at all." Sakura took his arm and led him the other direction to a near by pancake house. Syaoran ordered a simple cup of coffee whereas Sakura ordered a glass of orange juice and a stack of pancakes. Syaoran started to put cream his coffee as Sakura started to eat her pancakes.

Syaoran studied the cream swirling in his coffee while debating on whether to tell her his true feelings. He gripped harder on the handle of the glass cup: he was going to tell her. **_Right now_**. He knew he might not get another good chance to tell her. He gazed at Sakura who was…too occupied to notice Syaoran's eyes on her.

"Um…Sakura?" Sakura, who was about to put another fork full of pancakes into her mouth stopped to look at him. The expression Syaoran bore on his face looked…nervous for some reason. Sakura's eyebrows rose in concern for her good friend; there was something wrong.

"What is it Syaoran? Is there anything wrong?" Syaoran quickly put his hands under the table so Sakura wouldn't see them: his hands were shaking. He saw that Sakura's eyes reflected worry and concern. He could feel his cheeks starting to burn under her stare.

"There's….s-something I've been meaning to t-tell you for a while now." Syaoran stuttered quietly.

"What do you want to tell me?" Sakura asked, cocking her head slightly in curiosity. He swallowed the lump in his throat; why did having to tell her have to be so damn difficult?

"That…I…I…I l-" Just when Syaoran was going to say those three wonderful words, Sakura and Syaoran felt a ripple of magic radiate not to far away from where they were. Sakura darted her head to both her left and right trying to find the direction of the magic.

"Did you feel that?" Sakura asked Syaoran, who was frozen in place. The presence of magic snapped him out of his fixed stare. He blinked a few times before responding.

"Yes I did," Syaoran honed his senses and turned his attention to his right, "It feels like it's coming from down the street." Sakura nodded as they got up out of their seats to investigate the source of the magic. They broke into a run down the street to find the location of the magic. Of course, they completely forgot to pay the bill.

**000000000000000**

After choosing an item to use as a spying tool, Tomoyo and Meilin gave Eriol what they decided on using for Eriol's spell. Tomoyo gave Eriol a small pouch with the eraser Sakura gave her back when they first met and Meilin gave him a yin yang pendent she was wearing. He put both items on the coffee table in front of him right next to each other. He put each hand just above the pendant and pouch.

He closed his eyes, finding the warm glowing light inside him. He could see it gently glowing inside the dark reaches of his mind, dancing calmly against the emptiness. He called upon his magic once again; it responded in delight to his summoning. He could feel his magic start to flow in his hands as each fingertip tingled slightly to the warmth.

He started to mutter a chain spell under his breath forcing his magic to transfer into the items. Tomoyo and Meilin watched with fascination as Eriol and their possessions glow gently in a red color.

"How long will this take exactly?" Meilin asked, still staring at the glowing light just a few feet in front of her.

"Only a few seconds longer…," Eriol answered as he was finishing the last of the spell. He smiled as he gave them back their 'spy gear'. Tomoyo and Meilin took their items in great delight. They could still see a faint glow of Clow Reed's symbol on the pendent and pouch.

"That should do it. It won't take so long the next time because-" Then he felt a ripple of magic come out of no where. He got up off the couch to look out the window trying to find where the impulse of magic came from. Meilin and Tomoyo were confused at what Eriol was doing.

"What is it Eriol?" Tomoyo asked. Eriol turned around to face her and Meilin. His face twisted from a soft expression to a hard serious one.

"I sense magic coming near where Sakura and Syaoran are. We should go." The girls nodded as Tomoyo grabbed her camcorder and they were out the door.

**000000000000000**

They stopped at the intersection not sure where to go. The immense ripples of magic flowed all around the two of them, making it confusing to find the source. Syaoran scanned the area all around them, but couldn't seem to find a decent trace to follow. He wished right now that he had his Lasin Board with him. He turned to Sakura who was also trying to find which direction the magic was in.

"Sakura, can you find where the magic's coming from?" Sakura looked hesitant.

"I don't know if I can…"

"I know you can. You've done it before. Just focus," Syaoran stated sincerely. Sakura gave a weak nod and closed her eyes. As she started to concentrate, she blurred all noises and distractions around her. In the darkness of her mind, she reached out with her own magic to find where the cause of their search was coming from; like metal to a magnet.

Then in a brief flash that lasted for only a second, she saw two people hidden in a group of trees. She couldn't make out their faces due to the shadows of the trees hiding their identities. They were both sitting in a tall tree near a group of swings. She snapped her eyes open, not sure of what she saw, but she did recognize where the two unknown people were located.

"Well?" Syaoran asked anxiously. Sakura turned her head over her shoulder to the direction of where the magic seemed to be strongest.

"It seems to be stronger in that direction. I saw an image of two people in a bunch of trees near a set of swings." Syaoran knew only one place where she could have seen that vision.

"The park. Let's go." Sakura nodded as they broke into a run yet again. A short time later, they get to the park where they could feel the air humid with magical energy. Syaoran and Sakura found where the magic was coming from; the King Penguin slide. Syaoran walked over to it to investigate the slide.

He knelt down on the right side of the park symbol to find an Ofuda similar to the ones he used. This shocked him a little bit and gave him slight chills down his spine. Sakura noticed Syaoran's reaction to his discovery and came over to see what surprised him.

"What is it?" Sakura asked him as she knelt down beside him. He pointed to the Ofuda attached to the slide. Sakura took in a quick breath of shock. Well, this was getting exciting.

"Wait, aren't those the type of magical writings _you_ use to call out your spells with?" Sakura asked, now very interested. Syaoran turned his body slightly and nodded. He turned back to examine the Ofuda carefully. It did look like one of Ofudas that he uses, but there was something he could sense about it that still gave him chills.

He also noted the characters written on the Ofuda were only not his, but these called upon darker elements of magic. He wanted to see if his assumptions were correct, so he summoned his ceremonial sword into his hand. He got up and faced Sakura again.

"I'm going to try and see if what I think this Ofuda really is what I assume it to be. Could you stand back a bit? I don't want you to get hurt." Sakura stood up and nodded.

"Sure, but what do you think it is, and why would someone randomly place it here?" Sakura asked as she took a few steps back from where Syaoran stood.

"I don't know that either, but I'm going to find out." Syaoran said as he pointed the tip of his sword just inches from the Ofuda. The tip of his sword started to glow as he focused his magic into it. He started to tie his magic into the Ofuda to trace its origin from the presence of its master.

He closed his eyes to see some type of clue or trace of the owner. He started to see an unreadable shape of a person wearing some type of long, flowing garment. As the vision was getting clearer, he yelled as the magic from the Ofuda sent pain up his arm and through out his body.

What appeared to be black ribbons wrapped around his body and threw him several feet from the slide. He landed roughly on his back, knocking the wind out of him. Sakura ran over to his side and knelt next to him.

"Are you ok!" Syaoran managed to lift his upper body upright. He flinched at the slight pain in his back. He looked at Sakura and nodded.

"Yeah I'm fine. I-" Syaoran stopped suddenly. He heard something very faint coming from the trees. Sakura heard it as well and she started to look around their surroundings. The noise started to get louder and louder. Sakura and Syaoran found it to be two people giggling. Then the two people started to laugh hardly at what it seemed to be at Sakura and Syaoran. Then one of them finally spoke.

"Curiosity kills the cat you silly." The voice giggled. Then the other spoke.

"You are a fool to try and find out our master. **_He_** is not that easily found." The second voice said coolly. This voice was much colder than the other. Syaoran looked up at the tree, but he still couldn't see what they looked like, only their dark forms hidden in the branches. He knew one thing so far; this didn't look good at all. Syaoran then saw Sakura beside him slowly stand up right and put on the bravest face she could muster. She stared them down with a strong glare although the only thing she could see were the two forms in the trees.

"I don't know who you guys are, but I won't let you hurt my friend and get away with it." There was a slight pause in dialogue before the two figures responded. They started to laugh at her attempt to sound threatening.

"HA! You think you can threaten us like that and can defeat us woman? I don't see a chance in that happening." The cold voice spat harshly. The other one giggled uncontrollably.

"Yeah, you stand no chance at all! Look at your friend next to you; with his acclaimed skills do you think you can beat us?" Syaoran twitched slightly at the insult directed at him. He managed to get up off the ground and stand back up. Syaoran looked at the two directly into their 'faces' and to Sakura's surprise, he let out a small chuckle.

"Based on how 'intelligent' you two sound, I think you got that backwards. Besides, if you think you can defeat us, why bother to hide yourselves?" That last statement just added the fuel to the fire. He saw the one with the cold voice flinch. How dare a member of the Li family even speak to them in such a manner?

"Uh oh, I think you got my brother mad…" The bubbly one said with caution wavering in his voice. The cold figure then turned to his brother.

"Shall we 'test' them like master asked?" The bubbly started to bounce up and down like a small child in a toy store.

"Yay! I get to play!" Sakura and Syaoran prepared themselves for the up coming attack as the two figures jump out of the tree with great speed and landed in front of them.

"Now you will see the mistake in insulting us the way you did." The cold voice hissed with distaste. He was fairly lean and wore a dark blue training gi under a dark grey cloak that flowed behind them. He had shoulder length hair that was a dark brown and piercing gold colored eyes.

"You two are in big trouble!" The bubbly one said with an unforgiving smile. He wore a white satin sleeveless shirt with a green dragon design and yellow trim with matching white pants and black boots. Around his waist was a blood red silk belt that fit snug around his waist. His hair was also dark brown but was much shorter than his brothers. His eyes were golden as well, but they looked playful instead of cold.

Then the bubbly brother jumped to attack Sakura, but before Syaoran could even move in to help her, the cold one charged at him with a punch. Making him drop his sword, Syaoran managed to dodge his attack and tried to bend down and sweep his feet from out under him, but he saw Syaoran from the corner of his eye and jumped away a few feet before trying again. He charged at Syaoran, but leaped in the air and brought his foot downward, aiming at Syaoran's face.

Syaoran saw this coming and caught him by the ankle and threw him across the pavement and watched as the brother hit the tree and slump to the ground. The brother recovered and got back up and repositioned his body in a form of a stance. Syaoran saw this as a challenge and did the same, but in a different stance than the brother's.

They took this opportunity to study the other and look for an opening or any signs of weakness. To Syaoran it felt like forever before one of them moved. Then Syaoran saw an opening and quickly charged at him and punched him in the face, but the brother caught his arm and twisted Syaoran's arm behind him and held him in place.

"_He let me punch him on purpose_!" Syaoran though in anger as the brother put his face right next to his ear.

"Looks like you partner isn't doing so well." Syaoran glanced over to Sakura, who was trying to dodge the other brother's Fire spell from hitting her. That just made him angry. Syaoran took advantage of the brother's face next to his left ear and kicked his leg straight in the air as his toe came in contact with the brother's nose. The brother cried in pain, his eyes starting to water rapidly.

Syaoran quickly spun around and punched him right in the gut, causing the brother gasp in pain. Then to 'finish the job' Syaoran did a spinning kick to the side of his head and watched him hit the pavement with a crunch. Syaoran walked over to the brother and looked down at the man. He appeared to be knocked out.

Syaoran ran a few feet and grabbed his sword back off the ground and ran to help Sakura. She was currently dodging the fire spells from the other brother. She didn't have time to summon a card to even fight back because of the speed he was firing at. Syaoran jumped in front of her and looked at her.

"Sakura, I'll distract him while you summon a Sakura Card!" Sakura nodded and jumped a good distance back before she pulled the Star Key from under her shirt. She held it out in front of her and started to summon the key.

"_The key that hides the magic of star_

_Show your true powers in front of me_

_Sakura, who has made a promise with you, commands you_

_Release and dispel!"_

The key floated out of the palm of her and grew larger. The wand started to stretch out and stopped when it was a full length. She grabbed the wand out of the air and twirled it around a bit before she stopped in mid twirl, grasping the wand with both hands in front of her, and stared dead center at the brother.

Her wand, instead of being pink, was a foot and a half longer and was a pearl white color. Well, it was more like a staff now than a wand. She pulled out a card out of nowhere and threw it in the air above her. As the Sakura Card spun rapidly, she held up her staff just below the card. The golden star of her staff started to spin in unison with her card. She then yelled the command to the card.

"Windy! Wrap your form around him and disable him! Release!" Windy sprouted from the card and flew toward the brother, gracefully wrapping herself around him and letting him drop to the ground with a thump. He tried to strangle, but to no avail. The hold the card had on him was too strong, or it appeared to be.

"Oh no, master will not be pleased…" The bubbly one muttered. Syaoran walked over the brother and pointed his sword at the brother's throat. Syaoran looked down at him with an icy glare.

"Who is your 'master' you keep mentioning?" Sakura, who was watching, decided to walk closer to Syaoran so she could help him in any way she could. When she stopped she tilted her head down to examine the brother who was at the mercy of Syaoran's sword; for now.

"That's a secret. I promised master I wouldn't say a thing." The bubbly brother answered calmly. Sakura was shocked to see something that gave her a chill down her spine; the brother was still smiling. Not once did his expression change throughout this whole fight they had to now. Syaoran was starting to get pissed now. Eriol pulled the same crap with him when he was stuck in a situation like this. Syaoran put the point of his sword on the brother's throat, drawing blood.

"I'll ask you again, **_who is your master_**?" The brother sighed softly. He still wasn't going to say anything.

"You two are so persistent aren't you," then the brother shifted his gaze behind Sakura and smiled even wider, "hm, I see the tiger is ready to kill." Sakura and Syaoran looked behind them and saw the other brother charging right at them; aiming for Sakura no less. Sakura quickly whipped out her shield card and summoned it.

"SHIELD!" the card obeyed its master and formed a magic shield around her. The brother, who was charging at the same time she was summoning, leaped in the air to hit her in the face with a drop kick. Instead of hitting her, his foot came in contact with the shield and made him fall back to the ground with his back of his head being the first thing to come in contact with the ground. He landed with a grunt of pain and was out like a light once more.

"That was too close for me." Sakura said a little shaken, but ok. She summoned her card back to its original form and stuck it back in the pocket of her pants. Syaoran breathed a sigh of relief. Then he turned his attention back to the other still bound by Windy.

"Oh poop, I guess Ajax will be severely punished for that one." The bubbly brother shook his head in disappointment.

"_So, my opponent's name is Ajax huh_?" Syaoran thought with interest. Then before Syaoran could ask another question, Eriol, Meilin, and Tomoyo came from the entrance of the park and ran up the two. Meilin took a good look around the battle area before she replied.

"See, I told you Syaoran trained too hard." Syaoran turned the trio in surprise. Sakura however, had a worried Tomoyo to greet, with her arms around Sakura in concern.

"Sakura, are you alright? Oh my, look at your cloths, there all singed! I'll have to make new ones for you!" At the idea of Sakura modeling her new designs, Tomoyo's eyes started to reveal stars. Sakura just laughed softly at her friend. Eriol walked up to Syaoran and put hit hand on Syaoran's right shoulder.

"I see you two had some problems?" Syaoran just nodded. Eriol smiled.

"You and Sakura are quite the team." Then Meilin came up next to the two men and grinned. Syaoran's eyelid gave a quick twitch. Oh boy, he knew where they were going with this conversation.

"Yeah, they always were and always will be. This shows that they will have a good relationship when they get married. Ah, teamwork. That's one of the most important things you need in a marriage." Syaoran, at this time, blushed at the thought of getting married to Sakura. He turned to Meilin to protest.

"Would you two just shut up!" Syaoran was at the brink of screaming. Sakura and Tomoyo turn to look at what was going on. Tomoyo just laughed softly and Sakura just looked confused, but she did hear the words, 'get married'. Then she stared at Syaoran and put two and two together.

"You're getting married Syaoran?" Sakura asked curiously. Syaoran, at this time, was trying very _very _hard not to let any embarrassment show on his face. Meilin and Eriol were just laughing to the point of holding their stomachs in pain.

"No Sakura, I'm not getting…married. It just that these two," Syaoran shifted his gaze on Eriol and Meilin and glared at the two connivers, "just assume I will get married to…this…person." Syaoran averted his eyes to the ground in embarrassment. He really hated those two right now.

"Oh, I'm sorry Syaoran I just assumed, that's all." Sakura said a little embarrassed herself, and somehow relieved. Syaoran tilted his head back up to look at her. He smiled a reassuring smile. Then before Eriol and Meilin could finish their good laugh, the sky suddenly started to turn black and they could hear rumbling in the sky. The rumbling appeared to be someone breathing in anger. Then a deep rumbling voice spoke.

"How dare you two fail me? You Ajax I could see failing, but you Zorion, I had hope for you. You two will see your punishment immediately!" The voice yelled. Ajax, who managed to wake up somehow, looked horrified, but Zorion just smiled despite the situation.

"M-master, please…understand-" but Ajax was cut short by their master. Syaoran looked at Ajax and felt kind of sorry for him…almost. He then turned to Zorion and shuttered; he was still smiling. Was he not afraid of what was to come? Then the three turned their attention back up at the sky. The voice replied again, but angrier.

"How **DARE** you even **THINK** to beg for your pathetic existence you call a life? Now, come to me as your master commands." Once he finished his command, the two brothers started to glow a soft yellow and then disappeared with a blink of an eye. The sky became blue once again and then they were gone.


End file.
